Dr. Maria Montessori's writings were the basis of my education till I was twelve and a half. Montessori isn't the right approach for every kid, but it was certainly the right one for me.
And it's the right approach for my son. One of the guiding principles of Montessori is competence in one's own environment. For example, Dr. Montessori introduced children's furniture, believe it or not--it was a huge innovation to have desks and chairs for small bodies a hundred years ago. Similarly, small pitchers and toaster ovens for food prep are standard as a temporary aid. But the goal is always an adult level of competence, not cuteness. Age 4-5 is the right time to start kids cooking, and we have.
But my kitchen is a lot different than that of late 19th cent. Italy. For one thing, there's this woman with a camera in it. And my boy, naturally enough, wants to take pictures, wants his own blog (he's been online since he was 4), and just read my book on food styling. And his 5 yr. old sister is reading and learning to cook now.
So our latest project is that while I'm cooking with my daughter, my son gets to learn some food photography. He holds the camera over carpet in the dining room ('cause my kitchen's too small for 2 people, much less 3), I get pictures of stuff that takes both my hands, and my daughter doesn't have to share the whisk with him. Of course, that means I'm teaching 2 completely different things at the same time, but so far, my head hasn't exploded. I'm also starting slow, only having him shoot one or two steps.
This isn't homeschooling, btw. I fully support the homeschooling movement, but my kids are in an alternative school (Montessori's not available). Their school is based on a theory of the human person very similar to Montessori's, so they don't get theoretical whiplash. I'm not sure how a Montessori purist would react to this use of technology, frankly--electric toys are a big no-no. But it is competence in his environment. That's his photo on top, SOOC.
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